The Backyard

The movie R.I.P.D. was playing on the living room’s flat screen TV with the home theatre intact until 2:00am. I had my head on the sofa’s arm rest and was situated beside Yixing. Luhan sat on the floor beside my legs. Halfway through the movie, the boys were already asleep despite the intense fighting scenes. Sehun was folded in the weirdest position over Tao’s lap and I was pretty sure there was some drool running down the side of Minseok’s face. Baekhyun was fighting to keep his eyes open and to continue watching the movie but quickly lost after slumping over on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

Flicking my eyes to Luhan, I realized him and I were the only ones awake. He looked to be still intently watching the battle between Ryan Reynolds’ character and the sort of alien-looking big guy. Luhan took advantage of the situation and stole the popcorn from underneath Kris’ nose and shoveled a handful of it into his mouth.

I tapped him on his shoulder. When he turned his head, my index finger was already pointed to poke him on the cheek. He stared at me with disgrace at my little joke and switched his attention back to the TV.

“Hey.” I patted his head, half-whispering. “I want some popcorn too.”

“They’re all gone though,” Luhan said in a voice that anyone could have believed except I could clearly see him bringing the bowl to his other side where I couldn’t reach.

“I still see where it is.”

Luhan faced the other way again as if to pretend he didn’t hear me and continued to eat the popcorn.

I bunched hair from the very top of his head in my hand and with one of the hair-ties on my wrist, I secured his hair up. I did the same until there were random patches of ponytails on his head that made him look like he was growing palm trees. The whole thing was to bother him until he finally offered me some popcorn, but Luhan stared ahead at the TV with an excellent poker face while he pretended like I didn’t just ruin part of his manhood. I chuckled at the result nonetheless and whipped out my phone to take a photo.

My phone wasn’t on silent and the audible click sound my phone created finally forced him to look my way. “No pictures!”

I hugged my phone to my chest. “Too late.”

Luhan unbent himself from the floor and sat beside me, shoving Yixing aside who still continued to sleep soundlessly. “Can I at least see?”

I contemplated for a moment before handing him my phone. “Here.”

Regret nagged at me as soon as Luhan pressed the little trashcan icon and deleted the photo.

I frowned, elbowing his rib. “Why’d you do that?!”

“Because I look stupid.” Luhan grabbed onto one of his palm trees.

“Wait.” I grasped on to his forearm before he could undo them. “At least let me keep one photo before you take them off.”

“Why should I let you?”

“Because it’s not stupid, it’s... cute.” I nodded at him in assurance, forcing a smile successfully without bursting in laughter.

Luhan narrowed his eyes. “Do you promise not to show anyone at work?”

“I promise.”

“Fine. Let me do it at least.” He held the phone in the air at an angle and he scooted closer to me before I realized he wanted a photo together. Pointing the camera at as, he snapped a photo. The results were slightly in the shadows because it was dark and our only light source was the TV, but his hair’s mess was still visible and that was all that really mattered.

“Thank you, thank you!” I received my phone again, holding it like it was precious as I studied the photo, muffling a laugh between pursed lips.

“You have to delete that within three days just in case you break your promise.”

“But—”

Luhan tossed a popcorn into my mouth, grinning. “Happy now?”

I shook my head at him in dissatisfaction but chewed and swallowed anyway. Kyungsoo stirred on his position on the other sofa, stirring awake from the noise we were making. Luhan and I held our breaths and remained still like statues until Kyungsoo flopped to face another direction and fell back asleep.

“We should go sleep. It’s late.”

The TV blinked off. Darkness suddenly enveloped me and I squealed, grabbing on to Luhan. “What happened?”

“That was just me. Calm down.” Luhan whispered in the dark and I heard him toss the remote aside.

I impatiently waited for my eyes to adjust in the darkness. “Did I just wake anyone?”

We waited for five seconds, but only silence answered.

“Let’s go.” He stood with me to make our way up the staircase.

I tiptoed over Junmyeon who was asleep on the carpet... or was that Jongdae? Blindly bumping into a few things, only Luhan was reassuring me that I was going in the right direction. His hand at my back was slowly guiding me.

“Be careful here,” Luhan warned while we descended up the stairs, taking each step carefully like there were bombs buried underneath the floorboards.

Successfully reaching the top of the stairs, I glanced at his silhouette after adjusting my eyes to the dark better. Because of the ponytails, Luhan looked like giant Barbie with abused hair that a little girl had personally styled and cut herself. I sputtered out a laugh.

“Can you please take these off now?” he whined, ducking his head down to my level.

“Hold still.” I reached up to slide the ponytails out of his hair and pulled them over my wrist again. Luhan waited patiently while I de-ponytailed him. I yanked the last one out of his hair a little harsher than I did the rest on purpose.

“Ow!” He grasped on to his head.

“Shh! You’ll wake them.”

I couldn’t see, but I would have bet he was giving me one of his Are you serious? expressions. “Do you want to ‘accidentally’ fall down the stairs?”

“No!” I stepped back in an attempt to keep away from him, though my back met with our room’s doorknob. It spiked at my previous bruise where Minseok had hit me with a ball.

“What happened?” he asked, hearing the sound of me clashing with the doorknob.

“My back,” I wheezed, pressing a hand on the spot.

Luhan pulled me with him inside our room and closed the door. He flicked the lights on. I was blinded from the brightness for a moment. He removed my hand from my back and rubbed the spot comfortingly himself though I could tell he wanted to laugh at my slight misery. The little smile he couldn’t keep off his face gave him away. “Aww, baby are you okay?”

I opened my mouth to complain about the name that he called me on purpose to bug me, but instead said, “I’m okay.”

I was up and awake before Luhan was the next morning. He was still sprawled across the floor and lightly snoring when I washed up and left the room to leave him in peace. I could hear the other boys in the kitchen creating a ruckus from the staircase. I frowned at the living room that was a mess. It looked like there was a slumber party and someone had played pillow-fight with a bag of popcorn. I made my way in the kitchen.

Chanyeol and Tao were busying themselves beside the stove with a pan in their grip. A smooth blob of pancake mix sat on the pan and it looked like they were both trying to flip it without a spatula.

“Remember, the highest one that lands most properly on the pan wins,” Tao reminded, spreading his legs out and getting into position.

“I got it. Ready, set... go!”

Chanyeol’s pancake stuck onto the wall while Tao’s made a miserable flop on the floor beside his foot. “Told you they’d both loose!” Jongdae momentarily stood up to do a victory dance while Baekhyun and Junmyeon handed him strawberries in a bet they lost. The whole kitchen table looked like a poker table, but instead of cards and chips, it was strawberries.  

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